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Has anyone taken a building services HNC with logis-tech, as a distant learner? Or any other provider for that matter.

I'm 30 years old and work as a refrigeration and air conditioning engineer for medium sized building services company and Im looking for the next step up the ladder qualification, both as a career progression and self yearning to learn.

I'm not quite sure what career direction I would like to take but i'm thinking maybe either consultancy or design.

I'm qualified up to NVQ level 3 and so the building services HNC seems the next logical step but with it being distant learning, I'm a little bit worried about if I will struggle to get to grips with the science and maths involved, especially since I won't be in a class room and be able to listen to the lecturer and ask questions.

I know that I would be assigned a tutor but to what degree would they be available to help?

I consider myself very academic and know that if I was to attend a college or uni full or part time then there wouldn't be an issue but the fact is I would be studying from home alone.

Hopefully someone on here can shed some light on the Distant learning process.

Unfortunately the experience of distance learning is different from establishment to establishment.

I did my BSc as distance learning and never actually set foot inside the university. Their online libraries were good enough for me to do my research along with a few books from Amazon. I have now just started my MSc, I go to the university for exams, but again their online facilities and the course work are good enough for me to work through.

Some establishments do have a site specifically for their distance learning students so you would be able to communicate with them through that. You also have other online options as well, this forum for one. They also have a library at the IET, if you are a member. Sometimes you can also get contacts for previous students and they can offer advice.

Response from lecturers will be dependent upon how well the distance learning system has been set up and the time they allocate to it. In my experience some lecturers will allocate very little time and I got the impression that the university has got the money for the course and will then leave you to it.

Certainly a distance learning course will require far more discipline and self enthusiasm than attending a college.

If you are worried about maths then you could take a bridging course at a local college to build up your knowledge before attempting the course.